1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a match number game wherein balls bearing a number are randomly selected and wherein the selected number on the ball is called and matched by players to one of three numbers on one or a plurality of game cards and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a progressive system for a match number game.
2. Brief Statement of the Problem
In certain parts of the world, a game called match number is played wherein only three numbers appear on a game card. Match number is played in the manner of Bingo and Keno, but is unlike those games in how it is played. In FIG. 1, the prior art game card 10 for match number is shown having three numbers R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3. The number R.sub.1 is in a top number range of numbers from 1 to 10. Number R.sub.2 is in the middle number range of numbers from 11 to 20 and number R.sub.3 is in a bottom number range from 21 to 30. The numbers are displayed on the card 10.
In FIG. 2, the match number game also uses a plurality of balls such as 30 with each ball bearing a number N.sub.1, N.sub.2, . . . N.sub.30. It is well known in the gaming industry to also have an electronic random number generator to generate numbers N.sub.1 through N.sub.30 electronically and digitally display them in a conventional matrix display.
Match number games are typically played with a large number of participants. For example in FIG. 3, a prior art gaming room 30 is shown for a large number of player stations 32 which in FIG. 3 number 100. Any number of player stations could be used. Players 34 sit on one side of the player stations 32. Betting personnel 36 are on the opposite sides of the table. The game is run by an overall game caller 38 at a central location having a ball blower 39. It can be readily observed that a need exists in such a large game with so many players to automate the betting procedure as much as possible.
In FIG. 4, two prior art player stations 32a and 32b are shown. Player 34a sits at station 32a and player 34b sits at station 32b. A player 34 in a typical prior art match number game may play any number of cards up to a fixed number such as 4. Hence player 34a is shown playing three cards and player 34b is playing one card 10. Each card, of course, has randomly selected numbers in the number ranges R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3.
The game is played as follows. The player 34 selects one to four game cards 10. Each player playing the game of FIG. 3 has a unique game card 10 in that no two game cards are alike. The player 34 places the game card as shown in FIG. 4 on the playing surface 40 of the player station 32. In front of each card 10 and towards the assistant 36 each player first places an ante bet B.sub.1 and then places a game bet B.sub.2. The ante bet B.sub.1 is a fixed amount such as one coin. Game bet B.sub.2 is also a fixed amount such as three coins. Each player playing the game of FIG. 3 places bets B.sub.1 and B.sub.2. The assistant 36 observes this to be true. When the bets are placed, the assistants 36 sweep off ante bets B.sub.1 from the surface 40 of each player station 32. The ante bet B.sub.1 is the house take for running the game. A need exists to provide accounting so as to prevent theft from occurring during this sweep by any assistant.
The game bet B.sub.2 banks the game and when a player playing the game of FIG. 3 is the first to match all three numbers on his card 10 when the balls 20 are called, an assistant 36 observes this as being the winning card and then the assistants 36 sweep off bets B.sub.2 and deliver all of the game bets B.sub.2 to the winning player 34.
It can be appreciated that this is a very fast game lasting on the order of 15 to 55 seconds per game. It is also appreciated that an extensive amount of manual effort is required by the assistants 36 in sweeping off ante bets B.sub.1 and sweeping off game bets B.sub.2. A need, therefore, exists to automate this process as much as possible.
Between games, each player has the opportunity to select new cards 10 to increase or decrease their number of cards 10, and so forth. In a typical environment, the time between games may be several minutes. Therefore, it can be appreciated that during an evening of match number game playing, a significant number of games can be played thereby underscoring the need to highly automate this game.
A need also exists to reduce cheating and fraud that may occur due to human interaction with playing and collecting the bets.
A further need exists to make the match number game of FIGS. 1-4 progressive in nature by adding a level of additional betting and overall excitement from game to game. Such a progressive level of betting and anticipation would continue from game to game with an overall jackpot building up.
3. Solution to the Problem
The present invention provides a solution to the problem by first automating each player station 32 to automatically collect ante bets B.sub.1. The system senses each ante bet and provides accounting information so that the operator of the game is assured that all ante bets are collected so as to substantially minimize any taking by assistants. The present invention further provides a novel progressive level of betting which can continue from game to game until an overall jackpot is won. Hence, the progressive system for the match number game of the present invention satisfies the above needs. The present invention provides the same accounting for its progressive bets.